Bacon



@glitten States4 @utent- @fitte GEORGE WASHINGTON BOON, OF LONDON,ENGLAND.

i i Letti-rs Patent No. 69,956, dated October 2", 1867.'

GYMNASTIC APPARATUS.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONOERN:

Be it known that I, Guonor: WAsnINoroN Bacos, F. 1t. G. S., of Lockport,New York, new of No. 48 Paternoster Row, in the city of London, England,publisher, have invented certain new and usct'nl Improvement-s inGymnastie Apparatus, parts of whichimprovements are applicable forAother purposesg" and I do hereby declare that thefellowing is av full,olcur, and exact description thereof', reference being had to theannexed sheet of drawings, making a partof this specification, in whichv3 Figure 1 represents a. front view of my improved gymnasticapparatussuspended for use.

Figure 2 represents a side view of the same.

Figure 3 represents the apparatus with a swing seat attached.

. Figure 4 represents the upper part of the apparatus with n. trapezcbar and brakes'nttached. 1

Figure 5 represents a front view of an upper buckle, .dc'tachcdf Figure6 represents a central section of thc same.

Figpre 7 represents a front view of a lower buckle.

Figure 8 represents a centralscctlion of the same. v

Figures 9 and 10 represent lnodicd forms of buckles. l

Figure 11 represents one of the rings raised near the suspending hook. l

Figure 12 represents a cross-section of the tubular webbing with acentral core.

Like letters refer to corresponding parts in the several figures.

The object of my invention is the construction of a portable,nneat, andcheap apparatus, upon which a great variety of gymnastic exercises canbe performed in a limited space. 'lhis apparatus Iterin the HomeGymnasium. lhe said invention consists chiefly in the novel mode of andmeans for suspending and adjusting the several parts ofthe apparatus. v

A A are the hooks upon which the apparatus is suspended. These hooks'are screwed into a. beam orjoist about eighteen inches apart. Theapparatus can be instantly placed upon these hooks and as readilyremoved. B B are the suspending-links. These links are made of metal,and are so formed as t'o 'admit of their free i movement in anydirection '.upon the hooks .A A. 'lhey are Aformed with an enlargementat the top, as shown,

to prevent their slipping off when thc exercises are being performed,while lthcymay be readily attached or removed Aby passing thelcontracted portionof the link over the point of the hook. By the use ofthis link the friction caused by the swinging of the apparatus is alsothrown upon thc joint between the hook and link, and the -wear of thestrap is prevented. C C are the straps,'formcd of webbing, or leather,or other suitable material. When it is desirable that the webbing shouldbe ornamental it may be made of silk or worsted, by which a display ofcolors may be secured, and'by making it in a tubular form, strip ofstrong linen or cotton webbing or` other suitable material may be passedthrough it to give/it thc required strength, thus lesscning the expense.The strap C is secured to the lower side ofthe slot'b in the link B,while the second layer of webbing is passed over the upper side, toprevent friction between the two contiguous laycrs.- The ring E isformed of a thin strip of wood wound round a. cylinder of the requiredsize in parallellaycrs, one above another. These loyers are gluedtogether as the strip is wound around, and the number of layers issufficient -to give the required strength and thickness to the finishedring. lhc strip or sheet employed may be of sullicicnt width to be sawcdinto several rings after'tbc cylinder is formed.' The rings are turned,to `give them the required shape and smoothf ness. I These rings arepreferable to-metal, as they combine cheapness with great strength andlightness. D D are the buckles or Afriction-slides, the frame of whichis somewhat similar to an ordinary buckle. The tongue d is madetriangular in section, and is attached to the side of thebuckle-frame'at'rightangles with thc strap or band, with its acute or'`thinner edge downward, either i-mmovobly orby a. hingedjoint on oneside. To the top of the buckle-frame D is attached a. brake, d, tig. 5.The upper ends of thowebbing may be secured to the links by sewing,-rivcting,or in any other convenient manner, and the lower end of thewebbing similarly secured to the part d2 of the bucklcfraine. Where thecentre bar d of tho slide D is immovable, the lower end of the strap isfirst passed through said slide, (under its end pieces and over itscentre bar,)v and then, after being passed through the ring' E, isbrought back and secured firmly to the lower bar d of thcfsaid slide.Otherwise Y the'lower end of the strap is first attached to the slide orbuckle D, aum-together with the same, is passed through the ring E. Aloop of the strap is then passed into the said slidevor buckle-frame D,between the end pieces thereof, (its tongue or bar d being raised orremoved for the purpose,) far enough to admit of the replacement of thebar or tongue il under the loop. Instead of riveting the strap or bandto the lilik, as above described, a bucklel may be attached to cach endof the strap, (after passing it through the slot b.) When constructed inthis manner the lower buckle is not used for adjusting tho rings, butmerely when the rings are removed to put in the trapezc bar; and theadjustment is then performed by means of the upper buckle. The lowerstraps O are secured to the stirrup and to the part d: of the lowerbuckles in the same manner as the upper straps, and, are regulated andadjusted in all respects in the saine manner. They can be instantlyremoved or replaced, as the different exercises require. In performingthe different exercises it is frequently necessary to change the heightof the rings E and stirrups F, and to adapt the apparatus to the heightof different performers, and for the different exercises. Some of theexercises require the rings to be adjusted with great precision, and thevalue of such an apparatus depends very much on the facility andaccuracy of adjustment. In gymnastic apparatus heretofore in use, whenadjustable rings have been employed, a separate point for attaching theend of the rope has b'cen used, and where the ordinary buckles areemployed the precision of adjustment is limited to thc distance betweenthe holes. But by the use of these buckles or slides, in connection withthe link B, admitting the buckle to pass through it, I dispense with thenecessity of a second point for attaching tho upper end of the rope orstrap, and with thc surplus cords, hooks, and stays for adjusting therings, and at the same time the rings may be readily raised and loweredand securely held at any desired height. It allows a loop of the band tobe inserted at any point, without the necessity of passing the endthrough the buckle. It dispenses with holes, and thus increases thedurability and enables webbing to be substituted for leather. rIhe wholeis therefore more neat and simple, less evpeasive, occupies less space,and is better suited for use in dwellinghouses. Although I prefer theabove form of buckle, there are several modifications by which the sameobjects may bc accomplished. A buckle may be employed in which thecentre-bar (iig. l0) is immovable, and the straps are inserted throughapertures 1', in the triangular sides iz', formed through any portion ofthe frame, the end of the strap being scwed to the centre bar. Or theframe may be made solid, as in fig. 9, and the triangular cross-barguiado removable by first turning it into a. diagonal position, seas tofree it from a projection formed on the interior of each side of thcbuckle-framef. When turned in that position, this cross-bar can be takenout to allow the strap to bc inserted, and can then be replaced in asimilar manner. When this form is used, the strap is secured to the partil" of the buckle-frame, iig. and the movable centre bar y and the partj aro triangular in shape. Ihe brake Z is so constructed that when theweight of the performer is applied to the ring the strain upon the strapproduces a pressure upon the upper end of the lever, causing the lowerend to press upon the buckle-tongue il and to bind the webbing so as toprevent slipping, and the greater the weight applied the greater thepressure on the lever. The upper end of this lever Z is bont forward,and a tab scwcd into it, and when the tab is pulled for sliding thebuckle up, the pulling of it throws thc lever into a position whichremoves the pressure from the strap and allows the buckle to bc movedwith easc.- When leather or linen webbing is lused, as in the lowerstraps, the brake is dispensed with, the action of the triangular tonguebeing suilicient to prevent the slipping when the weight of theperformer is applied to the ring E, and at the same time the buckle canreadily be moved upwards or downwards upon the strap when the weight isremoved. The projecting edge ofthe buckle-tongue t? being downwards thebuckle does not slip in that direction so readily as in the oppositedirection, and thus the liability of slipping when the weight of theperformer is applied to the rings or lstirrups is greatly' diininishel.When it is desirable to raise the rings higher than can be done by thestrap being merely doubled once, it is done by unhooking the buckle Dfrom the strap and passing it through the link B and attaching saidbuckle to one thickness ofthe strap again at any desired point. 'whenthe rings are required to be still higher, the buckle may new, withoutbeing unhooked, be drawn down upon the webbing through the ring and upagain through the link. as shown at fig. 11, as many' times as isdesired, until the ring is drawn close up to the suspending-link in thesame manner as two pulley-blocks are drawn together, but having theadvantage of keeping the end of the strap constantly wound upon saidstrap,"and capable of being stopped at any dcsircdheight withoutliability of slipping, and with ne loose end oir/slack to be disposedof. These fnietiou-slides or brakes can also bc advantageously employedin all cases wherevei it is-desirable to insert and remove the strap orband without passing its end through said slide, and also when it isdesirable to avoid forming holes in straps or bands, er to adjust thestrap to any desired point without being limited to tho distance of theholes from each other. The trapeze-bar G is made of wood, about thirtyinches long, and ono and one-halt` inch in diameter, and is providedwith a link, l, iig. 4, on each end. In using the apparatus as atrapezc, as represented in fig. 4, the hand-rings E are removed byunhooking the buckles, and the links on each end of the bar arc attachedto the upper straps in the same manner as the hand-rings, and the bar isthus adjustable in the same manner by means of the friction buckle orslide I). In using the apparatus forthe exercises with the bar, the {latstrap will be found inconvenient for'holding firmly with the band. Toobviatc this difiicnlty, and still retain the ilat strap for exerciseswith the hand-rings, I use a cylindrical piece of wood, II, to each endof which are attached metal slides, z", provided with a movable tonguesimilar to the other buckles, to admit ofthe strap boing inserted. Whenthe cylindrical piece H, iig. 4, is adjusted in any desired position theoperator grasps it and the strap in his hand, and is thus enabled toobtain a firm hold, and as long as he retains his hold the friction ofthe strap against the cylindrical piece prevents the latter fromslipping, and when released the said slide can readily be moved up ordown or removed from the straps. The same purpose may be accomplished by'various other arrangements, the object being to combine the advantagesof a flat strip with those of a round rope by means of a piece of woodto give a firm grasp.

The apparatus may also be converted into a swing for children byattaching e.Y flat board tothe stirrups I",

"as represented in fig. 3. The seat is formed with notches near cachend, and can be inserted through the stirrups when turned edgewise, butwhen placed in a level position it is bound by the Sides of the stirrupand cannot slip out.

While it is not necessary, nor practicable without illustrations,vtcdescribe the various gymnastic exercises that may be performed upon myimprovedapparatus, it may be remarked that it is adapted to all ornearly all the exercises performed on the bars, ladder,rswing', andother apparatus of an ordinary gymnasium, while the cost of theapparatus is comparatively triiiing, and 'from its peculiar constructionthe exercises may be performed in a smallroom. It combines all theadvantages of a public gymnasium without any of its inconven'l iences.Most of the exercises may b e performed by ladies without mpropriety. Itproves an amusement to children', and, properly used, cannot failtcincrease the strength of the muscles, and thevigor of both body andmind. v l I I do not claim the employment of rings and stirrups inthemselves for gymnastic purposes, as I am aware that these have beenused-in gymnastic apparatus of other constructions; nor, on the otherhand, do I intend to limit myself to the details as herein set forth andillustrated, as these may be considerably varied without `departing fromthe principle of my invention; but what I do claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States,` is

1. The combination of a ring, E, with a friotiomslide or buckle, D, whenthe latter is secured to one en'd of a strap, C, and so arranged as topass readily through said ring andrthrough a suspending-link, B, andslide upon the outside layer of the strap, all substantially in themanner and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. 4The combination of a hand-piece, Il, with the straps'or bands C ofmy improved gymn'astc apparatus by means of adjustable slides securedthereto, substantially in the manner and vfor the purpose herein setforth.

3. The adaptation and combination of a swing seat with the stirrups F ofa gymnastic apparatus, substan ytially as and for the purpose herein setforth.

4. The friction-slide or buckle D of my apparatus, consisting of asuitable metallicirame, in combination with a hinged or-movabie centrebar, d or g, constructed and operating substantially in the manner and'for the purpose herein set forth. v

5. The use of a brake, d, in combination with a slide, D, substantiallyas and for the purpose herein speciiied. i

6. Constructing the rings E of my improved apparatus of layers of Wood,arranged and combined substamb tiallyin the manner and for the purposeherein set forth. p

y G. W. BACON.

Witnesses:

GEORGE HAsEL'TINn, HENRY MACKER.

